A toilet fixture, consisting essentially of a tank and a bowl, is a relatively heavy and cumbersome object. It can be difficult to lift and move, particularly for an individual working without assistance from a partner.
Over the years, there have been a number of attempts to develop a suitable lifting and transport device for toilets. Examples include the devices shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,590 (Lynn); U.S. Pat. No. 3,391,905 (Burns); U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,511 (Chitwood); U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,065 (Peters); U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,593 (Decky); U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,076 (Jacquay); U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,137 (Guevara); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,170 (Gwynn).
However, prior art devices have tended to be relatively complicated, with a significant number of moving parts. They are typically also bulky, and do not collapse for transport (without a toilet thereon) or storage. (Collapsibility for storage can be particularly important to a person who is conducting repair work on his or her own home, and who may be interested in utilizing such a device a single time, and who will thereafter want to be able to readily store it for possible future use.) Likely for many of these reasons, prior art devices as described herein have not achieved broad acceptance within the field.
A need exists for a toilet lifting and transport device that is relatively simple in terms of its construction and use, and that is collapsible for transport to or from a job and for storage. The present invention satisfies these needs and provides other related advantages.